This invention relates to a crib or child""s bed with high sides of which at least one is adjustable, and with a vertically adjustable mattress platform, and more particularly, to a crib or child""s bed wherein an adjustable high side may have its top or upper portion lowered without adjustment of its bottom, and wherein the lowerable top may be secured in place by a child-proof double-action latch mechanism, and wherein the height of the mattress platform may be secured in place with a child-proof latch mechanism.
Cribs with vertically adjustable sides to enable convenient servicing of a child in the crib, and with an adjustable raised mattress platform to accommodate children of different ages, are well known. The raised mattress platform provides storage space beneath the crib. Usually the whole adjustable side, formed with top and bottom railings interconnected with stiles or other barriers, translates vertically, with the result that in the lowered position permitting ready access to the child, access to the storage place below the raised mattress platform is blocked and precludes reaching articles commonly used during when the drop side is lowered.
Community Playthings, doing business of Community Products, LLC, already markets a crib xe2x80x9cWAS G10 Small Cribxe2x80x9d. It has two end panels each constituted alternatively of either clear plastic or wooden stiles mounted at its side edges in crib corner posts. Respective ones of the end panel posts are pivotally interconnected by side panels having appropriately-spaced wooden stiles between upper and lower railings. The bottom railings are a distance above the room floor, permitting the storage of baby materials below the crib. A mattress support is adjustably mounted in the crib between the side panels.
The pivotal interconnections of the end panels with the side panels enable sidewise collapse of the crib upon itself (after removal of the mattress support, and of course the mattress), and are achieved by pivotally mounting the ends of the railings in delrin plastic cups having upper and lower leaves formed internally of the cup with facing embossments co-acting with recesses formed in the upper and lower sides of each railing end, the ends of the leaves being urged together spring-like. The spring-like leaves also permit ready assembly and disassembly of the crib by enabling forceful insertion and removal of the railing ends therein. The present crib does not have a drop side.
Patents showing cribs with vertically translatable sides include U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,282 issued Jan. 27, 1976 to Bryant; U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,312 issued Nov. 17, 1987 to Shamie; U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,539 issued May 15, 1990 to Benoit; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,580 issued Jan. 2, 2001 to Draheim et al. In Bryant, the vertically translatable side slides on rods mounted on crib end posts. In Shamie, elements on the drop side extend into vertical slots in the crib end posts. In Benoit, special drop side guides and a double action device are built in and operate the slidable-up and -down drop side according to regulations. In Draheim et al, the vertically translatable drop side is secured to opposing pairs of tracks.
Recent patents showing cribs with high sides include the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,539 issued May 15, 1990 to Benoit; U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,452 issued Oct. 7, 1980 to Hoffman et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,493 issued Aug. 20, 1985 to Guillot; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,464 issued Dec. 17, 1991 to Draheim et al.
Recent patents showing cribs with adjustable mattress platforms include U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,482 issued May 2, 1989 to Paris; U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,880 issued Oct. 20,1992 to Schoonover et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,808 issued Jun. 1, 1993 to Schoonover et al.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to improve care for infants by facilitating access to the bottom of the Community Playthings crib xe2x80x9cWAS G10 Small Cribxe2x80x9d by their caregivers.
A particular object of the invention is to enhance gently easing a sleeping infant into the Community Playthings crib xe2x80x9cWAS G10 Small Cribxe2x80x9d, by the ability to temporarily reduce the reach necessitated by the operation.
A specific object of the invention to provide the Community Playthings crib xe2x80x9cWAS G10 Small Cribxe2x80x9d with a drop side.
Another object of the invention is to provide a crib wherein the storage space beneath a drop-side crib remains accessible while a child in the crib is being conveniently serviced therein.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a crib drop side which can not be lowered by a child inadvertently or intentionally.
A further object of the invention is to provide a crib drop side which can be easily lowered by the free hand of the mother holding the child with the arm of the other hand.
Another object of the invention is to provide a drop-side crib which is collapsible sideways upon itself for storage after removable of the mattress support.
A further object of the invention is to provide a crib having a removable mattress support with protection against inadvertent or intentional dislocation by a child.
A related object of the invention is the provision of a mattress support latch that cannot be operated by a child.
An object of the invention is to provide such a crib that complies with all safety regulations of the United States and the United Kingdom Still another object of the invention is to provide such a crib which is easy to use.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a drop-side crib which is still easy to assemble and disassemble.
A further object of the invention is to provide a drop-side crib which is still simple of construction and easy and inexpensive of manufacture.
The objects of the invention are achieved by providing the drop side of a crib with a top or upper portion which can be lowered with respect to its bottom portion Specifically, the top railing of the drop side is vertically translatable with respect to the bottom railing which is operationally fixed with respect to the crib. Vertical translation of the drop-side top or upper railing is accomplished by employing stiles having telescoping sections between the drop-side top and bottom railings: when the top railing is unlatched, the telescoping sections attached to it slide down in or on their complementary sections affixed to the bottom rail to rest thereon; when the top railing is raised again to its latching position, the telescoping rod sections attached to it slide up in or on their complementary sections affixed to the bottom rail to form the drop side constituting a full barrier to a child on the mattress support in the crib. In the preferred embodiment, a hollow cylindrical telescoping section is affixed at its upper end to the drop side upper railing, whereas the complementary rod or interior telescoping section is affixed at its lower end to the lower railing.
A feature of the invention is that the rod or interior or lower telescoping sections of the stiles are formed of wood encased in plastic. This prevents the expansion of the wood from the absorption of moisture and hence minimizes the danger of the telescoping sections binding; this in turn enables a closer fit between the telescoping sections of the respective stiles in order to eliminate a child""s exposure to any pinching by the relatively movable sections of a stile.
The drop side is secured in a vertical disposition and guided in its movements between raised and lowered positions by latch brackets mounted on the faces of the end-panel corner posts facing it, and by slides pivotally mounted on, the top-railing adjacent ends. The brackets extend vertically along the posts and have sidewise projections which are embraced by complementary grooves in the outer face of the slides. Thus the upper railing cannot be pulled inward or pushed outward by a child.
The drop side is rendered safe against operation by a child by employing double-action latch mechanisms. Two double-action latch mechanisms are used: one for each end of the drop side to latch it to the end-panel corner post adjacent that end. The two latch mechanisms are mounted in the upper railing. To this end, the drop-side upper railing is provided with an upper bar fixedly secured to a lower bar: the lower surface of the upper bar is provided with a longitudinally-extending groove slidably receiving rods of the two latch mechanisms that are biased outwardly from central triggers and extend beyond the outer ends of the railing to where they each engage on their free ends a shoulder-bearing latch bracket mounted on the opposing face of the associated corner post of the end panel; the upper surface of the lower bar retains the latch rods in the upper-bar groove. The upper bar reacts against the latch rods to support the drop-side top or upper portion in raised position when the free ends of the latch rods rest on top of their associated latch bracket shoulders. The two triggers extend downward from the inner free ends of the two latch rods through slots of length in the lower bar accommodating operational movement thereof, and are biased apart by a compression spring which thus also biases the latch rods outward to where they engage the latch brackets.
Movement of the two triggers inward (toward each other and against the spring bias), withdraws the free ends of the latch rods from over the associated corner-post latch-bracket shoulders to allow the drop-side top or upper portion to descend until the upper ends of the rods of the telescoping stiles are slid down upon by the associated tubes to where they engage the bottom surface of the upper-railing lower bar. The free ends of the latch rods and the latch brackets (of sufficient length) are formed of materials (e.g. delrin) facilitating free sliding contact with each other, thus enabling the triggers to be released after the initial unlatching and some beginning of the downward movement of the railing of the drop-side top or upper portion.
The latch mechanisms are rendered double action ones by forming the free ends of the latch bars wider, and by enlarging the width of the outer ends of the longitudinally-extending upper bar groove in two stages. In the first or outer stage, the grooves at each end are enlarged to their full heights for a short length, allowing the bar wider free-ends to be fully received therein under the upper-bar reflected weight of the drop-side upper portion when the free ends rest on top of the bracket shoulders, but restricting inward movement of the latch rods and hence preventing unlatching. In the second or inner stage, only the lower area of the groove is widened to accommodate withdrawal of the free ends of the latch rods when they are in their lower position in the groove due to sprig action and the drop-side having been lifted to take the its weight off of the latch rods. The weight of the drop-side top portion is such as to compress the first stage springs and allow the upper bar to descend upon the latch rod as the latch-rod wider free end portions enter the first stage wider portion of the groove. Withdrawal of the latch rod free ends by squeezing of the triggers together is thus prevented by the engagement of the enlarged free ends with the shoulders at the inner end of the first stage. However first lifting of the upper drop-side portion allows 1) the first stage springs to push the wider free end portions downward to where they are no longer aligned with the first stage shoulders, and 2) the operation of the triggers to withdraw the free ends into the second stage, whereupon the bar free ends clear the bar shoulders and the drop-side upper portion can be lowered Thus the drop side can only be lowered by first raising it.
A feature of the invention is that a mother holding a baby in one arm, can lower the drop side by grasping the triggers with the fore and index finger of the other arm hand to first raise the upper portion of the drop side and then squeezing the triggers together and momentarily holding them so until the free ends of the latch rods clear the top of the latch bracket shoulders during the downward translation.
Another feature of the invention is that pressure of the free ends of the latch rods on the latch brackets is minimized to reduce friction and thus facilitate up and down motion of the drop side top portion This allows stronger biases to be applied against trigger displacement to render the crib more child proof
To raise the drop-side top or upper portion and latch it in raised position, the top portion need merely be raised substantially evenly until the free ends of the latch rods pass over the latch bracket shoulders, the bottom of the latch shoulders being cammed to force the latch rod free ends inward as they approach the shoulders.
The mattress platform or bottom or floor of a crib is adjustable to different vertical positions. Adjustment of the mattress platform by a child is prevented by a unique latch arrangement. A plunger latch mechanism is mounted on the underside of each corner of the platform; but the plunger may be withdrawn to unlatching position only by inserting a tool through a narrow slot in the mattress platform. To this end, a slidable block in the latch mechanism and attached to the plunger is engageable through the narrow slot by a tool such as a key or pen to displace it to where the plunger is withdrawn from a recess in the corresponding corner post.
If the latch mechanism along one side edge of the mattress platform are operated and the mattress platform removed from the crib by raising that edge and pulling the plungers on the other edge from their recesses in their corner posts, this crib too can be collapsed onto itself. Pivotal action of the drop-side panel with respect to the end panels is enabled by the aforementioned pivotal mounting of the slides on the upper railing. The drop side lower railing is mounted on the end panel by the aforementioned delrin plastic cups having upper and lower leaves formed internally of the cup with facing embossments co-acting with recesses formed in the upper and lower sides of the other railing ends.